5 Interesting Facts About Blue-Banded Bees

Today I want to write about a very special Australian native bee, the blue-banded bee.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

These cool little bees grow to about 11 mm long.

Unlike most other bees, blue-banded bees live by themselves, with females building nests in shallow burrows in the soil.

They get their name from their bright blue bands. You can tell the males from the females as they have 5 bands, whilst the females only have four.

They use a special technique to pollinate flowers called buzz-pollination. They grab flowers and shiver their flight muscles, causing pollen to shoot out onto their abdomen, which they then carry to other flowers to pollinate. Because of this, they have a very special role in the Australian eco-system and many plants rely on them.

Blue-banded bees are found throughout mainland Australia in a wide range of habitats.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about blue-banded bees?